Tonight is the "Night of Nights"

...Filmmaker Extraordinnaire is bouncing off the walls and not surprisingly either.

With only 72 minutes left (as of time of writing this) to go, the wait is finally over. The night of nights has arrived and rightly so, what can be called one of, (if not the biggest) night of the year. There is really only one other night that comes close to such charged atmosphere and that's Christmas Eve. Personally, I see the night when the Academy Awards airs as predominantly the most important night. Obviously you would know why I do hold such high esteem and excitement for this 3.5 hour long fest of gold statuettes, gowns, red carpet arrivals, paparazzi, flashing bulbs, and long-winded speeches of thankfulness towards managers and God one too many times. If not and you don't know what I do, browse on over to the profile. Speaks for itself.

In all seriousness, I have been counting down towards this night.With less than 5 minutes before Richard Wilkins interviews the red carpet steamrollers on the widescreen TV behind me, I'm bouncing everywhere like a child on red cordial and have been for the past couple of weeks. Big whoop you might exclaim? Well, holding tightly onto my life goal of reaching Hollywood and being a (professional) film director\producer\writer one day soon; this night is by far, what it's all about - Achievement. But enough about why I watch it.
Following is the list of nominees for this year's Oscars:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Don Cheadle in "Hotel Rwanda"
Johnny Depp in "Finding Neverland"
*Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Aviator"
Clint Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby"
^Jamie Foxx in "Ray"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Alda in "The Aviator"
Thomas Haden Church in "Sideways"
^Jamie Foxx in "Collateral"
*Morgan Freeman in "Million Dollar Baby"
Clive Owen in "Closer"

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Annette Bening in "Being Julia"
Catalina Sandino Moreno in "Maria Full of Grace"
Imelda Staunton in "Vera Drake"
^*Hilary Swank in "Million Dollar Baby"
Kate Winslet in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
^*Cate Blanchett in "The Aviator" (although the bloody 6 o'clock news ruined the results for me. Bastards)
Laura Linney in "Kinsey"
Virginia Madsen in "Sideways"
Sophie Okonedo in "Hotel Rwanda"
Natalie Portman in "Closer"

Best animated feature film of the year
^*"The Incredibles"
"Shark's Tale"
"Shrek 2"

Achievement in art direction
"The Aviator"
"Finding Neverland"
"Lemony Snicket?s A Series of Unfortunate Events"
^*"The Phantom of the Opera"
"A Very Long Engagement"

Achievement in cinematography
*"The Aviator"
^"House of Flying Daggers"
"The Passion of the Christ"
"The Phantom of the Opera"
"A Very Long Engagement"

Achievement in costume design
*"The Aviator"
"Finding Neverland"
"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events"
^"Ray"
"Troy"

Achievement in directing
*"The Aviator"
"Million Dollar Baby"
^"Ray"
"Sideways"
"Vera Drake"

Best documentary feature
"Born into Brothels"
^"The Story of the Weeping Camel"
*"Super Size Me"
"Tupac: Resurrection"
"Twist of Faith"

Best documentary short subject
*"Autism Is a World"
"The Children of Leningradsky"
"Hardwood"
^"Mighty Times: The Children's March"
"Sister Rose's Passion"

Achievement in film editing
*"The Aviator"
"Collateral"
"Finding Neverland"
^"Million Dollar Baby"
"Ray"

Best foreign language film of the year
"^As It Is in Heaven"
*"The Chorus (Les Choristes)"
"Downfall"
"The Sea Inside"
"Yesterday"

Achievement in makeup
^"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events"
*"The Passion of the Christ"
"The Sea Inside"

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
*"Finding Neverland"
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
"Lemony Snicket?s A Series of Unfortunate Events"
^"The Passion of the Christ"
"The Village"

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Accidentally In Love" from "Shrek 2"
"Al Otro Lado Del Río" from "The Motorcycle Diaries"
"Believe" from "The Polar Express"
^*"Learn To Be Lonely" from "The Phantom of the Opera"
"Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" from "The Chorus (Les Choristes)"

Best motion picture of the year
*"The Aviator"
"Finding Neverland"
"Million Dollar Baby"
^"Ray"
"Sideways"

Best animated short film
^*"Birthday Boy" (Local Melbourne talent too!)
"Gopher Broke"
"Guard Dog"
"Lorenzo"
"Ryan"

Best live action short film
"Everything in This Country Must"
*"Little Terrorist"
"7:35 in the Morning ( 7:35 de la Mañana)"
"Two Cars, One Night"
^"Wasp"

Achievement in sound editing
*"The Incredibles"
^"The Polar Express"
"Spider-Man 2"

Achievement in sound mixing
^*"The Aviator"
"The Incredibles"
"The Polar Express"
"Ray"
"Spider-Man 2"

Achievement in visual effects
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
"I, Robot"
^*"Spider-Man 2"

Adapted screenplay
"Before Sunset"
*"Finding Neverland"
"Million Dollar Baby"
"The Motorcycle Diaries"
^"Sideways"

Original screenplay
"The Aviator"
*"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
^"Hotel Rwanda"
"The Incredibles"
"Vera Drake"

* is next to the nominee who I'm predicting will win
^ is next to the nominee who will actually end up winning

Immediately after the 77th Annual Academy Awards finishes airing tonight, I will endeavor to write up a review of all the craziness that went on; including: ghastly outfits, blubbering speeches, surprises, the magic, the stars and the joy of celebrating this year's highest achievers in the world of cinema across the globe. Stay tuned for more.

3 minutes to go...